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Lemon layer cake on a cake stand with one slice lifted.

Lemon Layer Cake

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
2 hours 45 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 636kcal
Author: Shinee
You'll love this layer cake for its burst of lemon in every bite. Soft sponge cake layers soaked with lemon syrup and filled with homemade lemon curd and lemon Swiss buttercream frosting.
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Ingredients

Lemon sponge cake:

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar divided Note 1
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice Note 2
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 ½ cups (180g) plain cake flour sifted Note 3
  • ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Lemon Swiss Buttercream:

  • 6 egg whites
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 ½ cups (340g) unsalted butter sliced and at room temperature Note 4
  • ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Lemon Curd:

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter sliced and at room temperature

Lemon Simple Syrup:

  • ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

To make the cake:

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line bottom of one 9-inch springform pan (at least 3 inches tall) with parchment paper. Do NOT grease the pan.
  • Separate egg whites and yolks, making sure not even a little bit of egg yolk gets into the whites. (TIP: It’s easier to separate the egg when they’re cold right out of the fridge.)
  • In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk together egg yolks, ½ cup of sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until pale and tripled in volume, about 5 minutes.
  • In another mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites at medium low speed until foamy. Add remaining ½ cup of sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to whisk until stiff peaks, gradually increasing the speed to medium high, 7-10 minutes.
  • Using a spatula, add 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture and gently fold until mostly smooth. Add the remaining egg whites and gently fold until smooth.
  • Add flour and salt into the batter in 3 stages, whisking the batter well after each addition.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
  • Bake the cake until inserted toothpick comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Don’t open the oven for at least the first 30 minutes!
  • Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the pan. Then run a knife around the edges and invert onto a cooling rack. Cool completely. Once cooled, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate, preferably overnight. It’ll be easier to slice it when the cake is thoroughly chilled.

To make the buttercream:

  • In a small saucepan, bring a small amount of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer.
  • In medium heat-proof bowl (I used my stand mixer bowl), whisk together egg whites, sugar and lemon juice and place it over the saucepan with simmering water. (This is a make-shift double boiler. Make sure the bottom of the top bowl doesn’t touch the water.)
  • Cook the egg white mixture until sugar is completely melted and it reaches 160°F (70°C) stirring continuously, about 5 minutes. (This's my favorite thermometer!)
  • Now, remove the bowl with egg white mixture from heat. Then whisk it on medium speed for a minute, then slowly increase the speed to medium high and beat until stiff peaks form and the mixture is cool to touch, about 10 minutes. (It may take longer with a hand-mixer.)
  • Once the meringue reached stiff peaks, scrape the side of the bowl with a spatula.
  • Turn on the mixer on medium speed and start adding butter, one tablespoon at a time. Make sure the butter is fully incorporated before adding the next piece. (NOTE: It’s normal if buttercream starts to curlde half way. Keep adding the butter!)
  • Keep whisking the buttercream until smooth, light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
  • Now, switch to a paddle attachment and add the salt. Beat the buttercream until well combined, about a minute.
  • Transfer the buttercream into a large piping bag. You can use a round piping tip, if you have it, but it's not necessary.

To make the lemon curd:

  • In a medium saucepan, whisk together eggs, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest for a minute.
  • Turn on the heat to low and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 170°F (75°C), 8-10 minutes. The mixture will be thick and it'll leave a trail if you run a finger on back of spoon dipped in curd.
  • Remove from heat and stir in butter.
  • Place a mesh sieve over a bowl and run the curd through it. It makes the curd silky smooth!
  • Cover the curd with plastic wrap, making sure it touches the curd to avoid forming a film. Cool completely and then refrigerate.

To make the syrup:

  • In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Then stir in sugar and lemon juice. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, remove from heat and cool completely.

To assemble the cake:

  • Slice the cake into 3 even layers. (This cake leveler is a handy tool for this job!)
  • Smear a dollop of buttercream in the middle of a cake board and place the first cake layer on it. This will help your cake stay in place and won't slide.
  • Generously brush on lemon syrup all over the cake layer. If you don't have a pastry brush, just use a regular spoon.
  • Pipe a border with the buttercream around the edges of the cake and fill the middle with half of the lemon curd, if you're making 3-layer cake.
  • Pipe more buttercream over the curd and evenly smear the frosting with an offset spatula. It's a bit tricky to level the buttercream over the curd, but piping the frosting makes this step super easy.
  • Place the next cake layer and repeat the layers until all the layers are completed. (TIP: Place the top cake layer upside down so that the top of the cake is flat with sharp corners.)
  • Then frost the entire cake with the remaining frosting. I ran a cake scraper on the sides for a naked-style finish. Decorate the cake any way you like. I smeared some lemon curd on top, piped dollops of buttercream frosting and sprinkled fresh lemon zest curls. I used this citrus zester tool to make those cute lemon zest curls. And my lemon macarons added an instant wow-factor as well!

Notes

Note 1: Fine granulated sugar or caster sugar is ideal for the cake recipe, as they dissolve quicker. 
Note 2: You'll need about 6 lemons to make the entire recipe.
Note 3: Cake flour is highly recommend for a light and airy cake layers. In a pinch, substitute with a DIY cake flour: measure 1.5 cups of all purpose flour and replace 3 tablespoons of flour with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift it before using.
Note 4: Make sure the butter isn’t too soft. When you push a finger into it, the butter should dent with some resistance.
Make-Ahead Tip: You can make all the components of the cake separately up to 1 week in advance!
- Sponge cake can be made and frozen up to a month in advance, or refrigerated for up to a week. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.
- Swiss meringue buttercream can also be made and frozen for up to 3 months, or refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. Thaw the frozen buttercream on the counter overnight. Whip it before using.
- Lemon curd can be frozen for up to 2 months, or refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
- Lemon syrup can also be made a week in advance. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble the cake up to 1 day in advance and store it in the fridge, covered. Bring it out 1 hour prior to serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 636kcal
Carbohydrates: 84g
Protein: 8g
Fat: 31g
Sugar: 72g
Sodium: 174mg